The daughter of a senior citizen who was discovered drowned on Tuesday said knowing the procedure for finding a missing person could have made the difference in saving her mother's life.

Maria Connie DeCouto was found dead on Tuesday afternoon in a Devonshire swimming pool a short distance away from the Matilda Smith Williams rest home, where she had been a resident.

The 75-year-old woman, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease, had been missing from the rest home since Monday.

And daughter Suzanne DeCouto yesterday said she wished she had been more aware of her options for finding her mother.

"I called the media and just got voice mail...I found out later that you should go through Police Media Relations by dialling 911, 24 hours a day.

"If we had her name out on the radio right away, someone might have seen her or we could've gotten more volunteers out on Monday night to help find her,'' she added.

"You always think you're going to find your relative within an hour -- but you need to have a current photo, proper telephone contact numbers, and contact Police Media Relations early.'' Suzanne DeCouto said she did not plan to take any legal action against the rest home since she knew how difficult it was to care for Alzheimer's patients.

Her mother had suffered from Alzheimer's for the past five years and began to deteriorate about two years ago.

"That day, she was pretty aggressive about getting out and that's all part of the disease... she suffered from Alzheimer's and she wanted to wander,'' she noted.

"There was a lot of activity that day, people were coming in and out, and although they had a security system she still managed to slip out unnoticed.

"But the people at the rest home did everything possible, and they've been absolutely terrific -- I've taken care of her personally and I know how difficult it can be.'' Suzanne DeCouto said her mother was a very popular person who was very active in the church and community service before becoming ill with the disease.

"All the nurses loved her and Mom was very well-liked...that was proven by the number of friends and family who came out to help look for her -- there was a good 30 people,'' she said.

She added she is hoping to help raise funds toward a new security system for the Matilda Smith Williams rest home, and asked that donations be sent directly to the seniors residence.

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